Sauerkraut Onion Bread

When I was in high school, my mom would make the BEST homemade onion bread. On my way home from school I would hope that there would be a fresh made loaf with dinner (and a slice for right when I got home, of course!)

With the abundance of sauerkraut in our home and a little inspiration from my mothers recipe, I created a delicious sauerkraut onion bread. The bread has a wonderful flavor similar to sourdough. Most of the probiotic microbes don't make it through the baking process, however their presence while the dough rises results in a more nutritious, flavorful, easier to digest bread. It is also full the same essential vitamins, minerals and prebiotics found in fermented foods. We make our dough in a bread machine and then bake it in the over. However, the same recipe can be used prepping the dough by hand.

Sauerkraut Onion Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup of sauerkraut

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of oil

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon minced onion flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

3 and 1/2 cups bread flour

1 packet of dry yeast

Takes 3 Hours

Instructions

Blend 3/4 cups of sauerkraut with 1 cup of water in a food processor or blender and add to mixing bowl or bread machine pan.

If prepping the dough by hand. Knead everything together for 5 minutes, then let the dough rest for five minutes. Knead the dough again for about 20 minutes (this will be a work out). Let the dough rise for about an hour in a warm place. I like to turn on the oven, and let the dough rise on the stove top where its warm from the oven heat.

After the dough has risen or the cycle on your bread machine is done, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and fold it over three or four times. Be sure to press down on the dough to release the air. Next you are ready to shape the dough into whatever you'd like! You can make a loaf, or even divide the dough into dinner rolls.

After shaping the dough into the form of your choice, let it rise again for one hour with a light towel covering it. I would do this on the stove top while the oven is preheating to 400 degrees. You can even add and egg wash and toppings if you'd like. Our favorite topping to add is definitely Melange Pour Le Pain. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan in the over and bake until the crust is the color you desire. Serve warm with some butter!